Even though Eli Wallach was "the Ugly" in Sergio Leone's epic 1968 western, and Lee Van Cleef was "the Bad," the labels were switched in the original trailer, and again on the poster for "The Big Gundown" which had its U.S. release later in the same year. I recall seeing it as the top half of a double feature (Dean Martin's first Matt Helm movie, "The Silencers," was in the second position) and though the movie was a better than average Italian western (and aside from Sergio Leone's contributions to the genre, all Italians westerns were average at best) what stood out, aside from Lee Van Cleef's always commanding presence, was another remarkable music score by the amazing Ennio Morricone that even included a rare vocal by Nina on "Run, Man, Run." The soundtrack, available at one time on the United Artists label, is worth tracking down, and the movie is also worth a look.
Review of The Big Gundown
